The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-05-26

HARBOR IMPROVEMENT.

It is to be hoped the Government may
ultimately see its way to the initiation of
a comprehensive plan of harbor i'm
provement. The future of the country
must largely depend upon it's commerce,
and commerce can only hope to flourish
where shipping facilities are as perfect
as possible. Honolulu harbor has
nothing to fear from the competition of
other Hawaiian ports. The greater their
growth the better will it ultimately be
for the capital city, if its harbor be ex-
tended and improved upon scientific
lines.
The ADVERTISER frequently adverted
to this subject in the past, advocating
among other things the remission of
dues upon shipping and constituting
Honolulu a free port. Although this
suggestion met with opposition in
quarters where greater commercial
foresight might have been ex-
pected, it nevertheless received
pretty general endorsement. BIT no
steps in any direction have been taken,
although an opportunity was afforded
when the Appropriation and Loan Bills
were before the Legislature. It is true
that $100,O for the harbor appears in
the schedule of works to be undertaken
by loan expenditure, but it is so vaguely
described as to mean very little of
practical value The specification reads:
Improvement of the Harbor of Homo
lulu and new wharves, 100000" 1t is
impossible to say from this how much
should be spent on improving the harbor
and how much on new wharves. That
nothing has been so expended is I'M
doubted, and there remain little over
ten months of the unexpired biennial
period to come and go upon.
Referring to the Appropriation Act
we are not greatly enlightened upon this
point New wharves and repairs are
provided for to the extent of $40, 900, and
for dredging $4,000 has been voted; but
no specific allotment of money has been
made for "harbor improvement" as dis
tinguished from wharf construction 1t
cannot be contended, however, that it
was ever contemplated to pay the cost of
running the steam dredger out of loan,
SO that balance of 100000 out of the
100000 set apart for this purpose in the
Loan Act was not allotted by the Legis-
lature. Considering the scramble and
methods by which the Appropriation
Act was strung together this is not to be
wondered at but it becomes an inn
portant matter in view of the fact that
the loan is virtually trust fund, and
can be lawfully expended only for the
purposes set forth in the Act by which
the money is borrowed. And this loan
differs from all previous Hawaiian bor-
rowing, inasmuch as the bulk of it was
raised in England, so that foreign
creditors for the first time hold a mort
gage upon the revenue of the country.
We were in hopes that the much
needed dock and wharf for the inter-
island schooner trade would have been
completed by this time, but we see no
prospect of it in the present season.
And indeed we should deprecate any
thing being done except under the direc-
ton of a competent engineer. This would
have been legitimate charge upon loan,
but of course as no money has been
spent upon the harbor the money re-
mains intact for future use. Other
needed improvements might also have
been considered and plans prepared so
that the work could have been started
when money was received from the
Financial Agents of the Government.
It is useless to express regret, however,
at the failure to do anything practical,
and after all perhaps it is for the best,
should it happen that during some lucid
interval, the Government will entrust
the execution of all such work to COM
petent hands.